CALCIUM MANAGEMENT TOWARDS PEG AND POD DEVELOPMENT OF GROUNDNUT

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy field laboratory of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (90º33´ E longitude and 23º77´ N latitude), Dhaka, Bangladesh during November, 2013 to May, 2014 in rabi season with a view to study the influence of application of Ca fertilizer (Gypsum) at optimum level on peg and pod development of groundnut varieties. The experiment was carried out in split plot design considering three varieties i.e. BARI Chinabadam-8, BARI Chinabadam-9 and Dhaka-1(Maijchaur badam) in the main plot and five levels of Ca (calcium) viz. NPKCa +

No split application of Ca, NPK + 100 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS), NPK + 200 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS), NPK + 300 kg Ca ha at flower initiation (45 DAS) and NPK + 400 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS) in the sub plot replicated three times. BARI Chinabadam-8 gave highest pod yield (1.85 t ha -1 ) which was 16.35 % and 8.19% higher than the Dhaka-1 (1.59 t ha ) and BARI Chinabadam-9 (1.71 t ha -1 ), respectively. Among the Ca levels, NPK + 100 kg Ca ha at flower initiation (45 DAS) scored the highest pod yield (2.27 t ha ) which was 54.42%, 51.33%, 41.88% and 29.71% higher than Ca levels NPK + 400 kg Ca ha

at flower initiation (45 DAS), NPKCa + No split application of calcium (Ca), NPK + 300 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS) and NPK + 200 kg Ca ha at flower initiation (45 DAS), respectively. BARI Chinabadam-8 in combination with NPK + 100 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS) produced the highest pod yield (2.44 t ha -1 ) which was 78.1 % higher than treatment combination Dhaka-1 with NPK + 400 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS)(1.37 t ha -1 ). The yield was attributed due to maximum peg initiation followed by pods plant -1 , seeds pod -1 , 1000 seeds weight and peg: pod. The highest protein content (34.13 %) was recorded from the combination BARI Chinabadam-8 with NPK + 100 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS) while lowest one was recorded from treatment combination BARI Chinabadam-9 with NPK + 400 kg Ca ha -1 at flower initiation (45 DAS) producing 30.15 %. Considering the quantity and quality production of groundnut, application of 100 kg Ca ha at the time of flower initiation could be the best production package for groundnut production irrespective of varietal difference.